House Democrats condemned the GOP’s attempts to undo the hard-won protections for consumers, such as requiring insurance companies to cover individuals (particularly children) with pre-existing health conditions, preventing insurers from arbitrarily dropping the health coverage of policyholders after they’ve become ill, and allowing young adults under age 26 to remain on their parents’ insurance policies.

Since the Supreme Court decision, Republicans have maintained that a full repeal of the health care law, which they have derisively dubbed ‘Obamacare’, is needed to pave the way for so-called “common-sense reforms.”

Given that the Democratic-controlled Senate won’t be taking up H.R. 6079, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) excoriated the repeal vote as “political theater at its worst”, distracting Congress from tackling other pressing matters such as the jobs bill.

“Americans are out of work and this body isn’t doing anything about it,” said Ellison. “Because they’re busy doing political stunts, and that is a shame.”